Children with disabilities

Children with autism may present delays in the development of social,
communicative and cognitive skills. The behavioral features and patterns of development
exhibited across domains can be very distinctive (Volkmar, 1999). This diversity in the
expression of autism is what presents the greatest challenge for professionals and parents
looking for the most appropriate and effective intervention for this population.
Audio coaching intervention is one technology that has been used for over 50
years to train psychologists, medical interns, pre-service teachers, and parents of children
with behavioral challenges (Baum, 1976; Crimmins, Bradlyn, St. Lawrence, & Kelly,
1984; Giebelhaus, 1994; Goodman, Brady, Duffy, & Scott, in press; Hunt, 1980; Kahan,
2002; Korner & Brown, 1952; Lindell, 2001; Werba, Eyberg, Boggs, & Algina, 2006).
The intervention consists of a trainee receiving immediate feedback from a coach via a remote radio. However, the application of this technology has never been explored
specifically for training parents of children with autism.
The present study was designed to examine experimentally the effectiveness of
the audio coaching intervention on parents' interactions with their children with autism.
Three mothers and their children with autism participated in the study. The mothers
received immediate feedback from a coach on prompts designed specifically for their
children. Results showed that the audio coaching intervention was an effective medium to
teach the mothers how to deliver effective prompts and praise to their children. Results of
the intervention also generalized to tasks on which the mothers had never been trained,
and maintained well after the coaching was withdrawn. All three children showed an
increase in their engagement and completion of independent tasks and routines in their
homes after their mothers increased their use of more effective prompts and praise.

The purpose of this qualitative research, which utilized a narrative design strategy, was to describe the process of self-regulation of a child who has bilateral cochlear implants within the social environment of school. The study investigated the use of self-regulatory strategies by the cochlear implant recipient. It also examined how the child made modifications and monitored learning during activities within the classroom as related to Vygotsky's activity theory and John Dewey's theory of social control. Through data collection of documents, observations, interviews, and researcher field notes, it was found that the child demonstrated several self-regulatory strategies.

Mathematics can be a difficult topic both to teach and to learn. Word problems specifically can be difficult for students with disabilities because they have to conceptualize what the problem is asking for, and they must perform the correct operation accurately. Current trends in mathematics instruction stem from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics that call for an inquiry learning model (NCTM, 2000). Unfortunately, this model may not be sufficient to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Researchers are currently looking at what elements will assist students with disabilities to learn mathematics both conceptually and procedurally. Explicit direct instruction, modeling, guided and independent practice, and providing advanced organizers have been found to help students with disabilities to be successful. Results indicated that students with mild disabilities were able to use the strategy independently to accurately solve the training word problems using division or multiplication. Also, students were able to generalize both the strategy use as well as the word problem accuracy to the measurement of area problems. Additionally, two of the three students continued to use the strategy appropriately to accurately solve word problems in the 6-week follow-up phase. Suggestions for future studies are provided as well as educational implications.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affects one in every 110 children. Medical and educational research have demonstrated that ASD children's social skills and adaptation can be much improved, provided that interventions are early and intensive enough. The advancement of computer technologies and their ubiquitous penetration in people's life make them widely available to support intensive sociocognitive rehabilitation. Additionally, computer interactions are a natural choice for people with autism who value lawful and "systematizing" tools. A number of computer-aided approaches have been developed, showing effectiveness and generalization, but little quantitative research was conducted to identify the critical factors of engaging and improving the child's interest and performance. This thesis designs an adaptive computer interaction system, called Ying, which detects learning patterns in children with ASD and explores the computer interactive possibilities. The system tailors its content based on periodic performance assessments that offer a more effective learning path for children with ASD.

The education of profoundly intellectually disabled individuals requires identifying motivators to help them learn basic tasks and skills. When these individuals also suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder, one promising method of therapy, multisensory therapy, has been shown to relax patients, facilitating the educational process. Relaxation drastically minimizes maladaptive behaviors such as repetitive movement (stereotypy) and self-injury, allowing the participant to learn efficiently. In this study, a multi-axis measure was developed to determine behavioral differences between an experimental group that underwent the therapy and a control group that performed a functional task in their classroom. Stereotypic behaviors were significantly reduced and gaze focus was enhanced within the therapy. The significance of these effects carried over when participants were returned to their classroom.